New to tractos-Looking at a CUT. Need advice

[RPMWFO]

Also cross posted in the Kioti forum just wanted to put it here for more exposure

Hello everyone. New here on the site. I have a 1.5 acre lot. The actual lawn is pretty small and I push mow it in about 15-20 minutes. The remainder of the lot is typical southern Colorado landscaping(weeds, brush, etc.) probably about an acre of weeds, yucca, brush, praire, etc. There is one part of the lot that has a some slope to it.

I was weed whacking the worst of it(3 hours plus per week) for while with a big Stihl trimmer, but that has gotten old over the last year.

So I started looking into riding mowers but was apalled at what is for sale these days(everything looks light duty and disposable after a year or two. Plus they seem to have limited utility for other uses around the house. This lead me to start looking into CUT and SCUT options after stumbling across this site.

Basically I am looking for a CUT or SCUT to brush hog or rough cut mow the rest of my lot. I also would like to use the tractor for landscaping work(have a huge amount-probably 50 tons+ of rock to move around), ground prep for another shop addition and possibly some trenching. Just getting tired of doing the work manually.

Based on that, I went tractor shopping today. There is a TYM and a Kioti dealer about 20 miles from the house. Stopped at the TYM dealer first. They had the 233 and 293 with FEL. With a rear mower, $13K and $15K respectively. Hydrostatic drive. Drove nice. Looked nice. FEL loaded on the 293 looked beefy.

Stopped at the Kioti dealer. Dealer said he had a used 2007 CK20, manual transmission, 230 hours, FEL, Backhoe, industrial tires(filled) coming in next week on trade. 1 year left on the drivetrain warranty. I might be able to extend coverage with him covering warranty service for another year. He originally sold the tractor and knows the owner and history. Said it looks like new. Always kept inside. Would sell the tractor, include a rear brushcutter, and a rear blade for $14,500. Based on discussions with him, he thinks the CK20 will out work the TYM for any dirtwork.

Is this a good deal? How does the Kioti compare to the TYM? Any thoughts?


I liked the smaller CK20 size for use around the house. Prefered the hydro drive on the TYM. Don't know that it would make that big of a deal for what I am doing around here. I've driven standards in various types of vehicles over the years and don't mind them. I don't have a lot of obstacles to deal with when mowing the praire.

I can think of several things I would use the backhoe for but I don't think I want to swing the extra cash on a new TYM with one(approx. $20+K).

Thought about Kubota and Deere, but don't care for the Deere dealer in town, and the Kubota dealer is about 60mi. away. Figured I could try stay relatively local for service or parts.

Sorry for the long winded post, just didn't want to head in the wrong direction with this kind of purchase.

 

[bp fick]

It's possible that the manual transmission played some part in that tractor being traded in, and, only you can decide whether you can deal with the heavy shifting while doing close in or repetitive work with the FEL. The manual shift for hogging is just fine, but you might find it something of a pain otherwise.

Since you state in the title that you are new to tractors, I might suggest you find a way to spend some time (a hour or two) helping someone else while using their tractor. My instincts tell me you'd prefer an HST very quickly.

Does that PTO stop on that unit when you put the clutch in? If so, think about how that will negatively effect mowing efficiency.

You didn't say whether you have a BobCat dealer near you. BC has identical tractors and have been offering some terrific deals. Just another monkey wrench to throw into the discussion. Personally, a 3 year old, 230 hour, 20 horsepower tractor at $14K doesn't strike me as the deal of a life time that I should jump on immediately, fearing a lost opportunity.

 

[Monster5601]

Sizing a tractor is difficult for one to determine because we get carried away sometimes (big boys big toys). I struggled during my research to determine the size I needed, thank the Lord for this site and the common sense found here.

You indicated you have a lot of rocks to move, is it gravel? Depending on the rock size would dictate the size of the bucket needed on the FEL. Then there is the lifting ability of the FEL. The more lift the less trips with the tractor but, how many times are you going to move the rocks?

Doesn’t sound like you have a great amount of open land to brush cut, how is the acre laid out with respect to maneuverability of a tractor with a brush hog hanging on the back?

When you shop for a tractor you are also shopping for a dealer and local dealer presents usually dictates the brand of tractor you purchase. The one thing I have learned here is that any of the tractor brands you will find here are work horses and will work for you for a long time. I don’t see the argument of brand X better than brand Y, each brand has its good and bad and there is no such thing as a perfect tractor fit.

Since all of the tractor manufactures are offering free FELs or 0% financing or another purchasing perk, it is difficult for the used tractor market to compete in price. Determining the value of a used tractor isn’t easy but you could compare purchasing price of a new one with full warranty against the price of a used one and study the price delta.

 

[Gittyup]

I don't think that's a good buy on the Kioti. I'd think you could get brand new for less. I helped my FIL buy a CK20 gear with loader and backhoe, 400 hours, for $8K. I like the CK20, but I think the T293 is a better deal for you. You get more tractor, more HP, a QA loader, and HST. Don't underestimate the value of the extra HP that the T293 give you either. The TYM is a real nice size that I've always liked, and I think they've gotten all the design bugs out. Just worry about the company's staying power. Rear remotes are a challenge on the TYMs, from what I've read.

Both tractors are plenty big enough for your uses. It sounds like you have a fair amount of loader work to do. HST is the way to go for that task, and it's a little safer on hills. One thing I don't like about the CK20 gear is that it isn't shuttle shift. So, you only get 2 reverse speeds. I'm pretty sure it's a 2 stage clutch though. Shop some more. Even go to Kubota, as 60 miles isn't all that far given that you seldom will need to actually go there.

 

[bp fick]

Shop some more. Even go to Kubota, as 60 miles isn't all that far given that you seldom will need to actually go there.

Agree 100%:thumbsup::thumbsup:

There are no dealers closer than 60 miles to me. That would be matched by hundreds of guys here on TBN. Other than an annual stop by to grab some filters and such, you're good.

You can buy a brand new Kubota BX for much less, and I still think with all the incentives out there, a new machine is doable in BobCat as well. If you are not afraid to shop TYM, then I'd sure not be afraid to shop LS, Montana, etc. as well.

 

[art]

An option you didn't mention might be for a couple of weekend rentals with less then 1,000 dollars spent you could have your yard done and keep the rest of the money for a better then average mower.

 

[TripleR]

An option you didn't mention might be for a couple of weekend rentals with less then 1,000 dollars spent you could have your yard done and keep the rest of the money for a better then average mower.

As much as I love my tractors, I agree completely. We often rent or barter for machines, back hoe/excavator skid steer etc. Unless you just really want a tractor, you can save a lot of money renting or even paying by the job to have someone do it.

If you decide to buy, look at ALL makes including good used units. The last two tractors I bought were not the ones, I had decided to buy initially.

 

[jenkinsph]

An option you didn't mention might be for a couple of weekend rentals with less then 1,000 dollars spent you could have your yard done and keep the rest of the money for a better then average mower.

I totally agree.:thumbsup:

Good riding mower such as the X500 series Deere and up, comparable Kubota models are a far cry from the cheap riding mowers sold at Lowes and Home Depot.

 

[gladehound]

Agree with previous post. In this economy, you don't want to spend too much on a used tractor. If you're only thinking about money, if you buy used, you should buy at a price that you think you can sell the tractor at. Then all the work you do with it is basically free use of the machine. If you don't need a back hoe, don't spend the money for a machine with one! Plus if you are using a mower off the back, that back hoe will never be on the tractor anyway.

If you're like me, you need a machine at your disposal on at least a weekly basis. I use it for everything and I'm sure it will keep my back functional longer than doing the work manually - and that is worth way more than the price of a CUT!

My only real advice if you are moving rocks, gravel, and ground engaging, is get the biggest thing that still fits everywhere you need it to fit. People often wish for a bigger tractor but rarely wish for a smaller one!